This is about Nikolas Ritschel, a kid who “pushed life to the limit, loved sports and was a natural athlete,” his mother Kelli Ritschel said.

“He loved basketball, the Chicago Bears and riding a dirt bike.”

He was popular. “Usually he had a group of people around him,” his mom said.

And then, on Christmas Day, 2008, a month before his 18th birthday, Nik was diagnosed with synovial sarcoma. “A tumor was wrapped around his spine. It actually paralyzes you.”

To get the best care available, “he went through extreme medical treatment all over the country, mainly at the University of Chicago Medical Center, the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md.,” and to a famous hospital in Boston, Mass.

“When doctors finally got to the bottom of it, they had to remove the cancer. Once you remove it, there’s a risk it may metastasize. It went into his lungs. They tried to take the tumors out of his lungs, but they came back,” his mother said.

Nik Ritschel died shortly before his 21st birthday on March 9, 2012.

But don’t think that Nik’s life from 2008 to 2012 was all suffering. He was determined to carry on through the pain, earning his GED through Rock Valley College and attending Robert Morris University in Chicago.

“You’d have never known he had cancer, he was so healthy looking,” Kelli Ritschel said.

Nik’s physical death did not end his journey, though. Nik lives on, through a race. How that got started is, as Paul Harvey used to say, the rest of the story.

Because Nik had been diagnosed with cancer before his 18th birthday, he was eligible to have a wish granted through the Make A Wish Foundation, which does nice things for seriously ill children and their families.

“Because Nik was persistent, his wish was granted and we got to go to Hawaii,” his mom said.

But in his stays in hospitals, Nik had met other teens about his age who were diagnosed with cancer after their 18th birthdays, so they were not eligible for Make A Wish. Nik thought they should have a chance at having a wish granted, too.

“That continued to be on his mind until he died. He wanted to do something about it.” So, Nik’s quest became his mom’s passion.

With the help of many people, Kelli organized a 7K race (for the seven rounds of chemotherapy Nik underwent) called Nik’s Home Run. There were 127 walkers and 142 runners. The race raised $24,000; so far five families have been helped.

The second Nik’s Home Run is Oct. 26. It starts at Rockford Aviators Stadium, goes up to the Northeast YWCA, winds through Sportscore 2 and returns to the ball park, ending on home plate. There will also be a silent auction — one item is a football signed by members of the Bears. A band will play. Race finishers will be shown on the field’s big TV screen.

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Anybody can run or walk, or watch, or just bid at the auction. You can also donate money, or become a sponsor. You’ll find all the information you need at nikolasritschelfoundation.org. Read about the families who already have been granted wishes, too.

“This foundation is all about creating some happiness, Kelli Ritschel said. “Nik was all about having fun.”

So, run the race. Have some fun. I’m pretty sure Nik will be there. You won’t see him, but he’ll be cheering you on.